My best Centaurus A galaxy!

[Garyh]

Hi everyone again,
While it has been so cloudy and rainy I have been able to get some processing done and catch up on the other weeks imaging session :).
This image was done over 2 nights and I am quiet pleased with the final result.
The seeing could have been better being just average but it was so clear!
Ok image is a stack of 28 images (14 x 6min iso 800) plus (14 x 8 min iso 400)
Data was nice and smooth which let me apply a light deconvolution to it in Pixlnsight LE and even after that there was very little noise to worry about!
This would have to be one of my best galaxy shots to date..:thumbsup:
Image is a 100% crop from original.
Comments most welcome...:)
cheers Gary

[[1ponders]]

Nice shot Gary. I can see why you're happy with it. :thumbsup:

[leon]

Agreed, you have capture that one very well Gary, I like it.

Leon

[Ric]

A lovely shot Gary, this one has brought up some great detail in the dark dust lane.

Cheers

[iceman]

Absolutely stunning - i've been waiting for this one, I knew it'd be a beauty.

Congrats Gary. Just beautiful.

[peter_4059]

Lovely shot Gary. The longer exposure sure has brought out a lot of detail.

[h0ughy]

wow thats fantastic effort!!! I am green with envy

[Lester]

Great image Gary.

All the images stacked speak for themselves, with such a smooth, detailed, master piece.

Well done.

[iceman]

I reckon it's good enough for a 2nd comment, too!

Just beautiful. This is what I aspire to in DSLR imaging.

[EzyStyles]

woww gary, very nice cent indeed. smooth and nice colours.

[Escortitis]

You said it Gary, fantastic, well done!

[Tamtarn]

Fantastic result Gary. The 28 images combined certainly proved to be a winner!

100% crop and the stars are still perfectly round WOW!!

Beautifully done :thumbsup:

[Alchemy]

yet another wonderful shot,

i went to your website to have a squiz at your gear, as your shots are probably the best 6 inch newt shots ive seen, hoping to see what youve built,:sadeyes: the link doesnt work. i notice youre building an 8 inch , any chances of putting up a shot of your stuff, including progress of the 8 inch, and maybee a bit of detail as youre doing it yourself.

cheers clive.

[Garyh]

Thanks Paul, much appreciated there.....:thumbsup:



Glad you enjoyed looking at it Leon...cheers :)



Thank you Mr Mike..:)



Thanks Peter, it is certainly worth the effort and time....:thumbsup:



Thanks Huoghy, no need to be too green!....you shall have your little Obs up soon to churn out some great stuff...;)



Thanks Lester....:), I put more time and effort into my shots these days, better one nice shot per night than 5 not so good ones.
Thanks again for peeking!



Thanks again Mike! I have noticed how far you have come lately...:thumbsup:
IIS is a great place for inspiration thats for sure!



Thanks Eric,:thumbsup: hope you get your camera issues sorted or we shall all miss your beautiful work...:(
cheers



Thanks George! :)



Thanks Barb and Dave, you two are all too kind...:)



Thanks Clive for those kind comments...:)
Sorry about the website, only sort of got half finished..Started making a new one at home so hopefully shall be done in the next month..:thumbsup:
I don`t have any pics yet of the new scope as its just a pile of pieces at the moment but I do have a few pics of my setup just after a finished my ROR observatory, I have changed it a little since!
Have attached one for you. Might do a new thread in the ATM section when the 8" comes together...:)
Thanks again guys for all those nice comments..
cheers Gary

[RB]

Gary as everyone else has stated, that's a fantastic image you've taken of Cent A.
Not only with pinpoint stars but also excellent detail and great post processing.
I am continually amazed at the quality you produce with the 300D, just shows what can be achieved given enough exposure and in the right hands.

Well done once again.

Your setup looks awesome too.

:thumbsup:

[Ric]

That's a great looking setup Gary.

From where that seat is located do you have to duck when slewing. :lol:

Cheers

[Prickly]

Hi Gary,

Thats an absolute cracker! Just terrific.

BTW - I'm amazed at the diffraction spikes - they seem really inconspicuous.

Did you do any processessing to do this or is that pretty much how it came out? What scope were you using?

Great work
David

[Inmykombi]

Truly beautiful image.
I found myself unable to take my eyes off it for a while, just looking at all the details you have captured.

Well done.

Geoffro.

[peter_4059]

Great setup. Wish I had a ROR obs!

[AlexN]

great image, and a very tidy observatory too.. I'm with rick though, slewing might come pretty close to the old noggin!

[Bassnut]

Gary, again, top work with a home made Neut. A small tweak for round stars :thumbsup:

[jase]

What else can be said Gary. This is an exceptional image. Well done. Only comment - is there a reason why you didn't raise the black point? Background looks rather bright.

Trust Fred to add his touch:P (the o'l minimum filter trick - you loose the faint stars with this technique - so be careful - use a selection mask!).

[Bassnut]

Actually Jase the dual layer round star shift trick eliminates small stars itself, let alone the nasty min filter which is another favourite of mine :D(sort of the poor mans RC simulation :P). Over processing is a minefield, im a victim, its crap, im a desperate :shrug:. (BTW, ST10XME on G15 soon, its the best I could muster with the bucks I have)

[strongmanmike]

Very nice Cen A Gary I can see why you are happy with it.

Fred, that was a wreck rather than a tweak :scared: the minimum and star rounding filters/tricks usually ruin images - but I know what you were "tryin" to do :)

Slight tracking or filter/image plane flop error doesn't totally ruin an image IMO if it isn't severe, can still be a great image in all other respects

Mike

[Garyh]

Thanks Andrew! A love the old 300D but would love to upgrade it when I get the funds too!
cheers Gary



Thanks for that Ric! nah the chair if further away than it looks, but I have wacked my head plenty on the roof!
cheers



Thank you David for that comment!, the diffraction spikes are just what happens naturally and with my 6" newtonian. The spider vanes are rather thick, so I am stuck with them like that! but I don`t mind!




Much appreciated Geoffro..:thumbsup:



cheers Peter, I love the ROR obs but if I had to build another one I would change a few things! Well worth the trouble Peter!..:)



Thanks Alex....:) Its not quiet as tidy now and the wires have been breeding...breeding...breeding...lo l



Thanks Fred!...lol sometimes I will round the stars but I try to stay away from doing it if possible!
thanks again Fred...:thumbsup:



Thanks Jase! :) I usually leave the background around the 20-30s level but maybe I didn`t keep a eye on it while playing with it in PS?
Shall have to give it another tweak or two!
cheers and thanks again Jase....:thumbsup:



Thanks Mike for the comment,...:thumbsup:
I agree about doing this star rounding stuff, I only ever use the minimum if the seeing is real bad and the stars look rather bloated or if the stars look more like eggs! but if thats the case I would rather re-image it again anyway..
Thanks for having a look...:)
cheers Gary

[Bassnut]

Gary, Jase, Mike. Just quickly, my tweak here was only shift, no min filter was applied. And I agree it can get ugly, sheesh, I dont always do this.

[sjastro]

Excellent image Gary.

I might have another go at one of my favourite galaxies.

Steven

[winensky]

Fantastic image of Cent A. great colour and detail. Congratulations

Kind regards
Matt